Eficiência e uniformidade de um sistema de irrigação por gotejamento na cultura da cana-de-açucar

Abstract

At the beginning of the 16th century, sugar cane reached Brazilian territory, becoming one of the most important crops developed in the country. The culture of sugarcane has great economic and social importance for Brazil, making it the largest producer and exporter in the world; occupying the first place in the production and export ranking of the planet. Suitable for tropical and subtropical climates, sugar cane fits among grasses that have a greater water absorption capacity, with fibrous and robust stems that are abundant in sucrose. There are two essential products that are produced by the high content of sucrose, which are: sugar and alcohol. Sugar is essential for human consumption, and alcohol, also known as ethanol, is used to fuel cars, as well as used in alcoholic beverages such as wine, beer and cachaça. The production of this crop has shown a significant increase every year due to the implantation of new units in several Brazilian states that need high water availability during the vegetative stage, in order to expose the adequate yield, the water deficiency in the initial phase. Influences sugarcane yield, mainly reducing plant size; traditionally, plants do not use irrigation (which is of great importance in reducing environmental impacts). Production in the territory is carried out practically without the use of irrigation. However, the use of the efficiency and uniformity of a drip irrigation system in sugarcane culture, although limited, is growing due to water deficit. The adoption of an irrigation system increases the benefit of the use of water, among them, drip irrigation stands out, for its efficiency in the use of water, and also, for the ability to bring nutrients to the plants, application of fertilizers and chemicals.

Keywords: water application efficiency. Irrigation. Drip. Surface.